Mixing-valve.



J. B. MERIAM & H. W. PRICE.

wnxms VALVE.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11. I916- 1 69,482, Patented June 11, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

s?! mm III/01,1575

1. B. MERIAM & H. w. PRICE.

MIXING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV,1I|19I6.

v to

nrn srxrns PATENT oEEroE.

JOSEPH B. MERIAM Ann HOWARD w. PRICE, 0E cLEvELANn, OHIO.

MIXING-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented'June 11, 1918.

Application filed November 17, 1916. Serial No. 131,865.

county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Mixing-Valves, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

The object of this invention is to provide a very simple and effectivecontrolling valve forcausing a proper mixture of gaseous hydro-carbonand air, and for feeding the same in regulated quantities. Our valveacts as av mixing valve or gas-carburetor, and is designed to receive agaseous hydrocarbon un'der pressure, which, with the proper admixture ofair, may be fed to an internal combustion engine.

One of the uses of our gas carbureter or mixing valve is in the testingof automobile engines by the use of natural or artificial gas. Our valveis arranged so that it may be. given the desired opening easily andquickly. It is provided with a very simple and effective damper in theair passage way, which may be shifted to different positions, thusenabling the engine to run normally or to race, as desired in testing.Another feature of our valve is that it may furnish a small quantity ofgas (with or without air admixture) for starting the engine.

The mechanism accomplishing the above results, and constituting thesubject matter of this invention, is hereinafter more fully explainedand the essential characteristics are set out in the claims.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is an elevation of our gas carbureter, lookingat the intake side; Fig. 2is a plan of our carbureter;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2,the plug being shown in full side elevation; Fig. 4 is a horizontalcross section through the carbu- .reter at'the-exit passageway; Fig. 5is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the valve plug; Fig.v 6 is adetail, in sectional elevation, showing the gas bypass, for starting,the: plane of the section being the same as that of the correspondingpartsin Fig. 3, but the valve plug being in a different position; Fig. 7is 'a fragmentary'view illustrating different positions of the airdamper and the action of' the spring in holdingthe damper in eitherextreme position.

O'ur carbureter consists primarily of a casing having intake passagewaysfor gas and air and an exit passageway for the mixture, and a plugwithin the casing rotatable and longitudinally shiftable therein, for 7con plingthe passages as desired. The longig tudinal shifting iseifected by a stationary cam on thecasing, which causes the shiftingwhen the plug turns, and a spring is 'pro- I vided to oppose the cam andhold the plug in position. Other features are a controlled by-pass forthe gas for starting purposes, and a shiftable air damper, all of whichwill be described more in detail.

, Referring first to the casing, 10 indicates an outer, approximatelycylindrical, wall, and 11, 12 and 13 alined inner walls having acylindrical inner surface, or bore, and thus adapted to receive acylindrical valve plug, hereinafter described. The inner walls mentionedare spaced from the outer wall 10 to leave annular passageways betweenthem. Thus the inner wall 11 is connected with the outer wall by the topportion 15 of thecasing; the wall 12 is connected with the outer wall bya horizontal partition member 16, and the wall 13 is connected with theouter wall by a horizontal portion ner wall 13 and the offset portion 17is a substantially cylindrical extension 18, forming an intakepassageway 19 for air.

Between the inner walls 12-13 and the outer wall 10, is an annularpassageway 20 communicating with the gas intake 21 formed in a boss 22on the outer wall 10. An annular passageway 25 between the outer walland the inner walls 11-1 2, communicates with an exit passageway-27,occupying a tubular extension 28. This extension is shown as providednearits end with a plate 29, whereby it may be attached to the intakemanifold ofan engine. This plate may, if desired, be swiveled on theextension 28, and such is the form shown in annular gas passageway 20with the interior .of the casing. Similarly'between the v inner'walls'll and 12 is an annular port 31 '17. Extending downwardly fromthe inconnecting the interior of the casing with the dischargepassageway 27.

To control the admission of gas through the annular port 30 and thedischarge of the same, together with air received from the tubularpassageway 19, we provide a rotatable shiftable plug 40. This plug has acylindrical exterior and is substantially hollow, its interior being inopen communication with the air passageway 19. The plug is closed at theupper end, as shown in Fig. 2, and is there provided with a handle 43extending laterally and furnishing means for turning it. Intermediate ofits body the plug is encircled by an annular slot 44 which divides itsexterior into two separated cylindrical walls 41 and 42. To support thelower wall 42 of the plug and connect it with the upper portion, weprovide inner webs 45, which preferably radiate from the axis of theplug and are connected with both of its walls. The drawing shows four ofthese webs, which may be conveniently cast integrally with the walls andhandle of the plug.

The lower wall 42 of the plug is adapted to entirely close the annularopening 30 in one position of the plug, as shown in Fig. 3. This wall42, however, is provided with an opening 47, which may be brought intoregistration with the port 30, by longitudinal movement of the plug. Thesame longitudinal movement carries the annular opening 44 intoregistration with the port 31, so that the gas admitted to the interiorof the plug from the port 30, and air coming into the interior from thepassage 19, are discharged through the annular opening 44 into the port31 and thus outwardly through the discharge passageway 27.

T o readily effect the longitudinal shifting of the plug, to cause theregistration described, we provide on the top portion of the casing astationary cam 35, which is engaged by a suitably formed boss 49, on theunder side of the handle 43. Accordingly, the turning of the plug by thehandle (toward the right in Fig. 1) causes the plug to rise in thecasing, whereby registration is effected between the opening. 47 and theport 30, and the opening 44 and the port 31. A

stationary abutment 36, at the end of the high point of the cam, limitsthe opening movement of the lever. The closing movement is convenientlyregulated by a screw 50 threaded in an ear 37 on the casing and formingan abutment for the side of the lever. This screw is shown as locked bya suitable jam nut 51.

To apply downward force to the plug, keeping the handle-boss 49 alwaysin snug engagement with the cam, we provide a tension spring 60, whichis suitably anchored at its lowerend and extends upwardly into theinterior of the plug and is secured thereto by having a hooked upper end62 passing through an opening in one of the webs 45. This springprevents the valve plug from accidental displacement. At the same timeit does not interfere with the ready turning of the plug by the handle.The incline of the cam 35 is gradual enough so that the plug will remainwherever placed.

I So far as the operation of the valve plug is concerned the lower endof the spring 60 might be anchored to ny convenient memher, but we availourselves of this same spring in holding the air damper in place byanchoring the spring to the air damper, which we will now describe. Theair damper consists of a disk having a diameter approximately equal tothe internal diameter of the tubular extension 18. This disk is providedwith trunnions 71 and 72, which are journaled in the casing, which ispreferably provided with diametrically opposite bosses to constitute thebearings. The trunnions may be in the form of pins bifurcated to receivethe disk 70, and may be held on the disk by screws 73, or other means.The trimnion 2 extends outside of the casing and there has a handle 75furnishing means for swinging the disk to vary the effective opening. Weform in the disk a radial slot 76, and adjacent to its inner end is ahole 78. The lower portion of the spring 60 extends downwardly throughthe slot 7 G and is provided* with a hook 63 which extends upwardlythrough the hole 78. The tension of this spring pulls the dampertrunnions snugly against their bearings. Moreover, the hole 78 isslightly off the center so that the spring tends to hold the damper ineither extreme position, and when it is thrown past the center, inchanging from one position to the other, may snap it into the extremeposition. The radial slot 76 allows the damper to be thus turned. Anenlargement 77 of the inner end of that slot provides for the travel ofthe spring when the plug is turned.

To adjustably limit the positions of the air damper, we form on the bodyof the easing ears 38 and 39, which are occupied by screws 80 and 81,which form abutments for the lever 75 and thus limit the position of theair damper. These screws are preferably provided with jam nuts 82. Thescrews are preferably so adjusted that one extreme position of the airdamper is suitable for the usual running of the motor, and the otherextreme position for racing the motor. This enables tests to be madevery rapidly, as the operator shifts the handle 43 to turn on varyingamounts of gas, with the air damper bypass controlled by the plug 40.This bypass consists of openings 90 and 91 through the inner wall 12from the annular passages 20 and 25 respectively, and a recess 92 formedin the plug wall 42 and adapted to couple the openings 90 and 91. Thedischarge area of the opening 91 is regulated by the pointed set screw95, which acts as a needle valve, this screw being clamped by the nut96. The recess 92 extends for a short distance about the plug 42 and isin inclined position, as shown in Fig. 5, and is thus adapted to effectcommunication between the ports 90 and 91, notwithstanding the rising ofthe plug.

In closed position of the valve the openings 44 and 47 and the recess 92are all out of registration with their cooperating ports. Fig. 3 showsthe relation of the bypass ports and the plug after the plug has beenmoved to the starting position. Fig. 6 shows the parts after the valveplug has been turned and has risen farther, but with the recess 92 stillin cooperation with the ports 90 and 91. A little further turning of theplug, then corresponds to the position illustrated in Fig. 6, carriesthe recess 92 laterally away from the ports and thus closes the bypass.

As it may be desirable to supply a small amount of air with the bypassedgas used in starting or in warming the motor, we provide for this byforming an arcual notch 97 in the lower edge of the plug wall 41, or, inother words, we increase the opening 44 at this point to overlap theport 31. This notch or increased opening, is inclined or gradual, asshown in Fig. 3. The bypassing recess 92 allows the same amount of gasto bypass in any of the positions of the plug where the recess is activeat all, but the amount of air admitted when the gas is bypassed may beregulated by the position of the plug, owing to the incline of the notch97. Shortly after the plug has been raised far enough for the notch 47to come into registration with the port 30, the recess 92 passes out ofaction.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is:

1. The combination of a casing having intake and exit ports, a movablehollow plug within the casing adapted to control communication betweensaid ports and having a port through its wall, an air passagewaycommunicating with the interior of the plug, a damper in saidpassageway, a tensile spring within the casing anchored at one end tothe damper and at the other end to the valve plug, and means for movingthe plug longitudinally and rotatively to change its presentation to theports.

2. The combination of a casing having an internal bore with ports in it,a hollow plug occupying said bore and having openings for establishingcommunication between the ports through the interior of the plug, meansfor admitting air into the interior of the plug, and a bypass betweensaid ports in the casing, said bypass including a recess in the 3. Thecombination of a casing having an internal bore, two passageways withinthe casing outside of said bore, ports from said passageways into thebore, a plug within said bore controlling communication between saidports, two openings into the bore from the respective passagewaysindependent of the ports, a recess in the plug adapted to establishcommunication between said openings, and a pointed screw adapted to actas a needle valve with one of said openings.

4. The combination of a casing having an internal cylindrical bore,intake and exit passageways terminating in ports at said.

bore, a cylindrical valve plug occupying said bore, means for turningthe plug, means for causing the plug to move longitudinally when turned,and a bypass between said ports, said bypass including a recess in theexterior of the plug.

In testimony whereof We hereunto aflix our signatures.

JOSEPH B. MERIAM. HOWARD W. PRICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

